Latest Columns

Herald Blogs

Paul C. Hunt, who teaches at the
School of Social Welfare at Florida International University, offered personal
observation on the downfall of James E.Scott Community Association:

The troubles at JESCA probably
never had to occur.While you focus on
Dorrin Rolle, and also include the late Archie Hardwick, this is a failure much
bigger than these two individuals.Where
has the Board of Directors of JESCA been?Where have the funding sources been?The JESCA situation is a case of reverse institutional racism.

In the late 1980s, I was the
director of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for Dade and Monroe Counties.At that time, the AAA was a component of the
United Way of Dade County. The AAA is
now the Alliance for Aging.JESCA was
one of the AAA provider agencies and has continued to be a provider agency
until its demise, providing a variety of services to the elderly in their
target area including congregate meals and transportation.

During my tenure as AAA director, JESCA fell
behind in its reporting and other contract requirements.Once they fell behind more than 90 days, the
contact obligated the AAA to suspend further payments until JESCA could again
become in compliance with their contract with the AAA.I remember very clearly suspending the JESCA
payment because of non-compliance.In
less than an hour, the then-President (CEO) of the United Way (not the current
CEO) called me into her office and demanded that I immediately release the
suspended payment to JESCA.

I explained
that JESCA was out of compliance and could not receive any further
reimbursements until they again came into compliance, all according to the
contract that they had signed.She
threatened to fire me.I asked her
secretary to draft a brief memo for the United Way CEO to sign that directed
me, in writing, to release the check to JESCA immediately despite the fact that
JESCA was out of compliance with their contract.She signed the memo and I released the check,
reluctantly.She further ordered me to
never withhold a payment to JESCA under any circumstance and failure to follow
this order would mean my immediate firing.

JESCA continued to be in and out of
compliance.

Monitoring visits uncovered
other irregularities.I always passed
these issues on to the United Way CEO who continued to be my boss.Nothing was ever done to remedy these
situations.

We are fortunate to have in our
community a number of very well-run agencies with Boards of Directors who understand
their responsibilities and take these responsibilities very seriously.However, I can tell you that there are still
some agencies out there who have the clear potential to be the next JESCA.I blame this not only on the Executive
Director of these organizations, but also on the members of the Boards of
Directors.Even from my current limited
perch, I can see agencies with very weak Boards of Directors.

Our community thrives on appearance and
personal connections.Our community
devalues integrity and education.So,
many people join the boards of non-profits because of appearance or because a
'buddy' has asked them to serve on the board (sometimes the Governor even makes
these appointments).Many of these
individuals do not take their responsibilities very seriously.

And then they are surprised when a
crisis erupts at the agency.

And the funding sources - from Miami-Dade County to the
United Way to the many foundations to the various other funding sources - often
seem as surprised as are many of the members of the effected Boards of
Directors.The funding organizations
need to monitor the grants they make.Often the funding organization can provide help to correct some problems
in a given agency.But the funding
organizations have the power and responsibility to require that the subject
agency perform according to the grant conditions.Where have these funding organizations been
for the last decade or more in relation with JESCA?

I have served on a number of non-profit agency Boards of
Directors for many years.When the
Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade County 'crashed and burned' in the late
1990, several of us were asked to resurrect the Coalition from its ashes.We did.We carefully built a Board of Directors of very responsible, committed individuals.I chaired the search committee for a new
executive director and we carefully hired a seasoned professional who still
serves as the organization's executive director.I am again the board president.Every month the board receives a written account
of our funds and there is an explanation by the executive director and the
associate director for administration.The board asks questions until everyone is satisfied that they
understand the status of the organization.The treasurer spends additional time to review all of the finances and
transactions.All disbursements are
formally signed-off by a series of staff, ending up with a sign-off by the
executive director.Any check over
$1,500 must be approved and counter-signed by an approved board member (e.g.,
treasurer or president).I do not see
how any improper disbursement could ever occur.It is always possible but it would take a conspiracy of significant
size.

In summary, JESCA appears to have been abused by Dorrin
Rolle (and before him, Archie Hardwick) but he had conspirators in the Board of
Directors - perhaps not active conspirators but conspirators through silence
and neglect.Parents who do not feed
their children are charged with neglect.Boards of Directors who neglect their agencies need to be charged with
neglect.

Finally, the government and
foundations who granted JESCA funding, need also to charged with neglect.

Who loses in all this?The clients who desperately need the services.It is always the clients who seem to lose and
lose greatly.

Hunt
has been an member of the adjunct faculty at FIU since 1989 and am currently in
the PhD program in Social Welfare.He holds
a combined Master of Social Planning and Master of Social Work from Boston
College and a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. (“ I
confess that I am originally from Boston - living here for the last 24 years.”)He is a W.K. Kellogg Fellow in International
Social and Economic Development and have been involved with various development
activities in Latin America and the Caribbean.